SANTA CLARITA : Clothing Store Withdraws Shirts With Gang Images
A Montclair-based clothing store chain, worried about sending the wrong message to youngsters, has pulled T-shirts from its racks that seem to endorse criminal behavior.
Accompanied by officers from Santa Clarita’s Anti-Gang Task Force, the chief executive officer of the Hot Topic clothing chain toured its Valencia Town Center outlet and ordered a recall of three shirt designs.
Orv Madden said the company condemns gang violence and tries not to carry items that promote drugs or violence. The shirts pulled from the shelves Wednesday featured images of a man who is holding a sack of items and removing a ski mask from his face, and a man standing in front of a black ball with “25!” on it that is connected to his leg by a chain. On the back is a broken shackle that reads “25 to Life,” a reference to the penalty for murder.
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